Italian energy company Eni and Algerian LNG export terminal operator Sonatrach are joining in on a pilot project to produce green hydrogen in Algeria to reduce the country’s CO2 emissions.
Eni, present in Algeria since 1981, is considered the leading international company in the country.
Toufik Hakkar , the CEO of Sonatrach, and Alessandro Puliti , general manager of Eni, met on 7 July to review the progress of Eni’s activities in Algeria.
Sonatrach and Eni agreed to accelerate cooperation in the technological field. This continues the cooperation that started with a memorandum of understanding the two companies signed in March 2020 in Milan, which focused on hydrogen production.
The companies outlined a road map for the joint assessment of the technical and commercial feasibility of a pilot project to produce hydrogen using electricity generated from renewable sources (solar and wind).
In order to preserve the country’s water resources, the use of water produced by oil fields will be evaluated for the electrolysis processes necessary for the production of hydrogen.
Eni and Sonatrach emphasised their common goal of reducing the carbon footprint of their respective activities.
The ongoing projects want to improve the energy efficiency of the processes, the electrification of treatment plants, the abatement of fugitive methane emissions, and the parallel development of projects dedicated to new zero-emission energy solutions.